BAC’s Silale grabs fourth spot at marathon
She finished fourth in the women's 42.2km and second in the veterans' category.
The Boksburg Athletic Club (BAC) top runner Christina Silale has praised her coach, David Gamede, for his words of motivation after finishing the Benoni Northerns Marathon women’s 42.2km race in fourth place on April 21.
Silale finished the race in 03:16:18 to fall 01:22 outside the top three. She still earned a podium place after finishing second in the veteran women’s (40-49) category.
She explained that Gamede’s post-training pep talks have positively impacted her career, adding she has found a new passion for athletics.
“I’m happy because my coach always tells me that winning is a bonus but running a race perfectly and timing my pace well is what’s important. Thanks to coach David. He always says age is just a number because I run with my legs, not with my age,” she said.
The athlete came into the race after a successful run at the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town on April 13. She finished 18th in her category at 05:17 and was the 50th lady at the finish.
She described the Northerns marathon as well-organised and said the route suited her perfectly because it enabled her to stick to her race plan. She added that despite the uphill coming out of Ebotse Estate, she was comfortable on the road.
“I’ve just returned from doing the Two Oceans, but the race went very well. I executed my strategy well. The route is flat, and I enjoyed it.”
In other BAC results, Isaac Mokgola claimed a top 10 finish in the men’s marathon. The top runner clocked an impressive 02:47:26 for ninth place and seventh in his category.
Wynand Strydom finished sixth in the masters’ category in 03:26:29 while Felix Banda shone in the 48km ultra race. Banda finished 10th overall after clocking 03:26 and was sixth in the seniors category.
Club veterans Josias Makoro and Brian Walstroom made it a top-two finish for the BAC in the grandmasters’ race. Makoro was first across the finish line at a time of 03:54:01 and 04:37:26.
Joseph Tshabalala also scored a podium in the masters category after finishing in the bronze medal position at 03:54:39.
Sue Laybourn earned a silver in her category in the 10km race after crossing the line in 54:36 while Brigitte O’Connor clocked 52:59 to finish fifth in the veteran women’s event.
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